At the End of the Rainbow
by Glanecia
Summary: Amanda, a very bitter and cynical 20 year-old, is pulled into an adventure with Rainbow Brite. For reasons apparently unknown, she must help Rainbow Brite on her quest to find and rescue a young Princess-who was recently abducted by a terrible beast.
1. A Walk in the Forest

At the End of the Rainbow

-Chapter One-

_A Walk in the __Forest___

The sun was dancing on the forest canopy high above Amanda as she clambered through the underbrush of the forest. She loved the sun, but at the moment she wished it weren't so bright-it was just one more distraction in her struggle through the stickers and branches. _There was a trail here once, I am sure of it_, she fumed silently. It had been ten years since she was last in this forest as a child. Countless hours were spent here, in this very forest, building forts, trails and playing a game called _Imagine_. Amanda laughed to herself. Imagine.

"Imagine me finding my way out of this mess", she muttered.

All she wanted was to find that meadow, that opening in the middle of the woods where she could sit down and eat the picnic she had packed in her backpack earlier that day. It had been years since she dared venture off like this-all alone. It was all a part of her "Ten Step-Self-Improvement Plan". This was only the first step. _Stupid Self-Help books_, she thought, _why_ _I must go back to my so- called roots to know myself better I'll never begin to fathom!_

Offering a deep sigh of resolution she continued forward, blocking the glare of the sun with her hand. It was so bright! Amanda winced as she examined the sun-lit canopy for a moment. She did admire the way the sun brought out the various shades of green in the forest. _Green, light green, pea green, dark green, shining orb of light . . .what the… _

In that next moment, Amanda gasped as she felt herself falling face-forward onto the forest floor. She sat up, rubbed her aching head and looked around to see what made her fall. Brushing some twigs out of her hair, she moaned as the pain shot through from her ankle to her leg. Her ankle! Her foot! Her foot, of course, it was just her luck that a hole would happen to be right where she stepped. She couldn't help but laugh and wonder what kind of hole-dwelling critter suffered the sudden arrival of a foot through their front door. Carefully pulling her foot away from the hole, she inspected her ankle for any serious injuries. It was fine. _Good_, she thought, _the last thing I need is a broken ankle._

She took her back-pack off her shoulder and checked inside briefly to make sure that her food was still intact. Pausing before returning to her feet she vaguely remembered seeing something which alarmed her a moment ago. She stood up and studied her surroundings. _What was I looking at?_ Amanda quickly glanced up towards the canopy struggling to recall her last moments before her unceremonious plunge to the ground. _That's right_, she remembered, _light_…._too much bright light!_

She pushed herself forward through the undergrowth, limping a bit but more insistent than ever on finding that meadow.

Up above the forest canopy a shining orb of light twinkled in anticipation. _It is only a matter of time before the girl will learn to appreciate color as much as the light that accompanies the variety of shades she admires so_, the Orb glimmered in confidence.

Floating upwards towards the sun the Orb mused silently_, but they must meet first, I can see that now. Yes, she must meet Rainbow Brite. _


	2. A Meadow Dream

-Chapter Two-

_A Meadow Dream_

Amanda smiled. She could see it straight ahead of where she stood. Finally! She had found the meadow. Long golden-colored grass bent slightly in the summer breeze, white daisies peeked out here and there, busy bees and chirping crickets filled the meadow with a soft gentle noise. Amanda took a deep breath and walked into the meadow. There were quite a few more shrubs and small trees in the meadow than the last time she was here. _At least the meadow is still here_, she thought.

Walking over to the center of the meadow, she plopped down on an old stump and set her backpack on the ground. _Man, am I starving! _She quickly unpacked her old yellow blanket that she had brought and her lunch box. After arranging her picnic area and flicking a few small ants off her blanket she hungrily opened up her lunch box. Her apple, salt and vinegar potato chips, ham and cheese sandwich and water bottle never looked so good before. _Oh yummm…._

Biting into her apple, she flopped over on her back to stare up at the clear blue sky. Two fluffy white clouds drifted by slowly. _Bunny_, she thought. _Yep, that cloud looks like a bunny. _She looked over at the other smaller cloud. _Hmmm. That one looks like a cloud_. _Yep, that most certainly looks like a small . . . white . . . fluffy . . . . cloud_. She laughed at her own sarcasm. Almost choking on her apple, she sat up to take a drink from her water bottle. The water was cool and refreshing.

Amanda wiped her brow and noticed how quickly the heat settled into the meadow. She looked around the surrounding area for spots of shade. Finding none, she considered walking back to the cool of the forest. She looked down at her lunch.

"After I finish my lunch", she decided.

Sandwich in hand, she laid back against the stump and set her gaze once more up at the sky.

"Hmmm", she mused. The clouds must have floated away. The sky was bright blue and was totally devoid of clouds. Amanda frowned thinking;_ this day could use a few clouds. It's far too hot!_

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, a sparkle of color shimmered for a brief moment. Amanda turned her head slightly to investigate the source of this color. She saw nothing. _Oh great, now I'm hallucinating_. _Maybe I'm dehydrated_. Worried a bit, she gulped down the last of her water.

Amanda gazed lazily at the surrounding meadow. Two orange butterflies fluttered from flower to flower. She certainly appreciated the beauty of the meadow, yet she could not make herself comfortable in the heat of the day. "Okay, it's time to go home!" Amanda packed up her belongings and started off to the forest.

Up in the sky above, the shimmer of color returned and developed into a bright and beautiful rainbow. Unlike any ordinary rainbow, this rainbow was instantaneously elusive and more brilliant than one might imagine. The rainbow seemed to dance in the sky, portraying a life all on its own. It swirled around playfully amongst the green of the forest and finally came to rest smack dab onto the scene where Amanda previously ate her lunch.

Amanda was completely unaware of its presence as she neared the forest. Suddenly she stopped. _The forest! _Amanda peered into the murky depths of the forest as a despairing thought arose. _I don't know which way to go!_

A sickening feeling of desperation engulfed her stomach. "Oh no!" Tears threatened to emerge from her eyes. "I'm lost." Amanda gulped. _If only the trail was still there. If only I marked my way through that bramble so I would know where to return! _Anxious thoughts raced through her mind and she struggled to maintain a sense of self-control. "It's ok, it's ok, it's going to be just fine", she assured herself. _What if I never find my way back? What if I starve to death out here? At least I still have my potato chips. But that won't last me long!_

Amanda paced back and forth in front of the forest. "Wait, I've got it!" _All I have to do is look for areas of broken brush. I'm sure I broke a few plants on my way to the meadow, and then I just need to find that hole in the ground and I'm on my way!_ Feeling a bit better with a plan in hand, she gazed back into the depths of what now appeared to be a very foreboding forest.

Amanda swallowed. _I'm not afraid_. She stepped forward into the shade of the wood. Feigning confidence she whispered, "I'll be just fine".

"Do you need help?" a little voice questioned.

Amanda froze dead in her tracks. _What the…_

Amanda slowly turned around to face a most unlikely scene. A little girl with blonde hair stood before her. _No, it's not quite blonde_, Amanda mused_, it has a hint of orange . . . strange._ The little girl was wearing the most extraordinary clothes. Amanda shook her head in perplexity. _The little girl's appearance is the last thing that I should worry about._ _What is a little girl doing here, apparently all by herself, in the middle of the wilderness?_

"Eh?" the question escaped from Amanda's lips, perhaps not as gracefully as she would have liked.

"I said", the little girl paused for emphasis "Do you need help?"

Amanda blinked in surprise. _This little girl is offering ME help?_ Amanda studied the girl again. _She can't be a day older than five! _Amanda noticed a small purple mark beneath the girl's left eye. _How curious._ _Is that a star on her face? 't be . . . what parent would allow their child to get a tattoo on their face of all places?_ The face. Wow. Amanda considered her face for a moment. The face held a sense of serenity and a wisdom beyond the years of a child. _How peculiar._

The little girl smiled knowingly, "Are you lost?"

"No," Amanda announced quickly. "I ….uh I was just looking for the trail." Amanda would never admit weakness to a child. She was a grown-up. She could handle this situation just fine. _Just fine, I'm going to just fine . . . . just . . . . fine. _Amanda turned back to the forest and continued on her way.

"You know", chirped the little voice, "the trail is over-grown. It's no longer there."

Amanda couldn't help but grumble softly to herself. She turned around and glared at the child. "Is that so? How do you know? How did _you_ get to the meadow then?" Amanda paused as frustration seeped out, "What is your name anyways and where are your parents!!!" The questions tumbled out of her mouth more quickly than she expected.

The little girl giggled. "Oh, I'm sorry! I should've explained myself from the start." Her eyes twinkled a bit. "I'm Rainbow Brite. I came to this meadow on my horse, Starlite. He's waiting over there by the rainbow with my sprite Twink. We rode the rainbow to meadow, of course. I don't have parents."

Amanda couldn't help but laugh. "Wha…ha ha…what kind of crazy game are you playing, kid?" _I don't have time for this!_ Amanda readjusted her backpack and walked deeper into the forest. Rainbow Brite followed.

"Amanda wait! Please," Rainbow Brite pleaded, "You'll just get lost in there!" she proclaimed.

Amanda whirled around and faced Rainbow Brite. "You don't give up, do you kid?" She frowned. _I don't remember telling her my name. What a crazy day!_

Rainbow Brite smiled. "No. I don't give up." She giggled.

Just then, a twig snapped off in the distance nearby the meadow. Amanda and Rainbow Brite both turned around to investigate the source of the noise.

"Starlite!" Rainbow Brite exclaimed.

An elegant horse trotted tenderly around the forest brush towards them. His mane and tail sported every color of the rainbow. Upon his brow a golden star shimmered brightly. He walked with a noble sense of confidence and purpose as his mane fluttered slightly in the breeze.

Behind his flowing mane Amanda spied a small white figure sitting upon his back. "There you are Rainbow!" a small voice squeaked.

Amanda wrinkled her nose in confusion. _What kind of squeaking midget . . . . _Amanda didn't have time to fully investigate the identity of the small white creature, for just then, the horse himself spoke.

"We wanted to see that you were okay" the horse spoke. _The horse spoke! _Amanda slowly backed away.

Rainbow Brite turned towards Amanda and said cheerfully, "Amanda meet Starlite and Twink." She turned back towards her horse. "Starlite, Twink . . . meet Amanda."

Amanda continued to walk steadily backwards, moving deeper into the forest.

"It's a pleasure to have your acquaintance," said Starlite. _The horse spoke! Again!_

"I'm dreaming," Amanda muttered, "I'm dreaming a really bad, but very colorful, dream. This is a bad, very bad, dream" Amanda continued backwards keeping her eyes steady on the horse. "I'm going to be just fine", she whispered desperately. _Just fine . . . . just fine…_

Amanda felt her foot give-way as she stumbled backwards over a rock, hitting her head against a tree. Pain throbbed throughout her entire being and then all became black.


End file.
